Should university graduates jump into the job market or push on to advanced degrees? “Keep studying,” was the recommendation made by the Vice President of the Technology and Manufacturing Group for Intel, General Manager of Intel Israel and Plant Manager of Fab 28, Maxine Fassberg. “We are interested in employees with an extensive academic education,” Fassberg said at a special evening of appreciation for Intel Corporation held at Tel Aviv University.

The event celebrated Intel Israel’s generous donation of advanced scientific equipment to Tel Aviv University’s Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering and Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. TAU President Prof. Joseph Klafter thanked Intel and Fassberg at the evening’s opening. “The relationship between academia and industry is fruitful and encourages entrepreneurship and innovation,” he said. “Intel recognizes this, and the valuable equipment it has donated will greatly assist young faculty members who have recently joined the university from abroad, as well as allow for a very high level of research.”

Pipeline of high-quality people

Fassberg, who is the 2012 recipient of TAU’s Hugo Ramniceanu Prize in Economics, said, “We see the university as the pipeline through which high-quality people pass on their way to working at our company,” she said.

“Both parties have a clear interest in the promotion of advanced education in mathematics, science and technology," she continued. "We rely on Tel Aviv University to identify capabilities that we don't even know we need yet, and to develop them for the future."

Engineering Dean Prof. Yossi Rosenwaks also thanked Fassberg for the donation, saying that the new scientific equipment has transformed the faculty’s research. He went on to say that industry occasionally develops at a faster pace than academia, making collaboration between the two so essential.

Spurring growth

Engineering professor and entrepreneur David Mendlovic, head of TAU’s new Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, also believes that a relationship with industry is one of the most important motivators for growth in academia “We must encourage the university’s researchers to delve deeper into the important issues facing global industry, so that we can transform the field. The Engineering Faculty identified this need more than two years ago and established the Industry Affiliates Program, which Intel was among the first to join.”

Prof. Mendlovic added that cooperation between Intel and TAU is extensive and includes joint research, human resources recruitment, courses, competitions organized by Intel, “and of course, the recent donation which improved to an impressive degree our research potential in the field of microscopy. The fact that we have managed to work together on such a wide range of activities is testament to the great mutual benefits that are possible,” he concluded.